Prepare to teach meetings: webinar

Q. If the exam is 100% non-assessment then why is component 2 an exam paper?

A. Component 2 is still NEA, we have just made it look like an exam paper. This is so teachers have the option of giving students an exam feel assessment. They could ask the student to sit the paper all in one go in the allocated time in controlled conditions as good preparation for GCSE. However, because the component is NEA, teachers also have the option of breaking the component down into more manageable chunks for weaker students.

Q. How much is it to attend the launch meeting?

A. Both the online and the face to face meetings are free events.

Q. Can students move from the Silver Step to the Gold Step if they're doing well? Or vice versa…

A. We would recommend giving your students the assessments before you make any entries. This way, you could give a student the silver step assessment materials and if they perform well on this then you could give them the gold materials to have a go at. If they do well here then this would be the step you enter them for and the work you submit. If they don't do so well then you still have the silver step work to go back to and you would enter them for silver step.

Q. Is this suitable for those students who have failed GCSE or not achieved a C grade?

A. This is aimed at students who are at the very bottom end of GCSE or below GCSE. It could be used by F/G grade students alongside GCSE or as preparation for GCSE or it could be used for students operating below GCSE as a stepping stone to GCSE or as a qualification in its own right.

Q. How will this be viewed as a stand-alone qualification? (Future careers etc)

A. Step up to English is an Entry Level Certificate, which is a well-established qualification.

Q. Will there be a moderation system in place?

A. Yes, teachers will mark the assessments and then there will be standard moderation procedures in place. You will send the centre mark form and work if you have fewer than 20 students to the moderator. If you have more than 20 students then you will send the centre mark form to the moderator who will then request a sample of the work. You will receive feedback on the moderation process at around the same time results are issued.

Q. Are the topics for each component related to the GCSE topics? Particularly in terms of the Literary requirements, e.g. Shakespeare, like in the existing Entry Level English Drama units?

A. Each paper within each component will have a theme that runs through it similar to the specimen assessment materials. As you can see there, the theme for component 1 is planning a prom and the theme for component 2 is animals.

Q. Will you release sample tests? If so, when?

A. The specimen assessment materials are already on the website and they will soon be joined by exemplar student responses. The live assessment tasks will be release in October.

Q. When would we receive assessment materials to get students started on the course?

A. The live assessments will be available on the secure key materials area of e-AQA in October of each year.

Q. Can lower-ability pupils study Silver in year 10 and then Gold in year 11?

A. Yes, this would be a good way of building up a two year course around the qualification.

Q. How much taught time is recommended?

A. The guided learning hours for this qualification is 120 hours. However, if it is being taught alongside GCSE, which covers similar skills, then this is reduced.

Q. Is this course suitable for EAL students?

A. This course is suitable for EAL students and is something that we have had in mind during the development. Cambridge University Press are also developing resources aimed at EAL students.

Q. Can this course be taught alongside the new GCSEs for English Language and could students sit this in year 9?

A. Yes, the qualification can be taught alongside the new GCSEs for English Language. The assessment objectives are based on the GCSE assessment objectives so we are assessing similar skills and some of the content is similar to GCSE, for example 19th century texts, narrative and transactional writing.

Q. I will be asked how this will contribute to whole school results. What is the answer in basic terms!

A. Step up to English will not count towards performance tables, as is the case with the current ELC English, but we believe this qualification could help students to achieve at GCSE.

Q. What guided learning hours are necessary  / required to study for this, please? Some students arrive here with only a few weeks left of Year 11 (we are a learning centre pru) and can it be taken by those in Yrs 10 and below also?

A. The guided learning hours are 120 hours but schools are planning on using the qualification in different ways. Some will offer it as a two year course, others as a one year course and some are thinking they will complete it in a couple of months if they decide late on that a student is not going to be able to take the GCSE.

Q. Do other exam boards other than AQA continue with Functional Skills Entry Level 2 after June 2017 please? As ELC is too hard for some I have.

A. The best place to check on the plans of the other awarding organisations is on their websites.